Page 23 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

" W hat were you two thinking!?" The death god's voice rattled my already ringing ears and I wrinkled my nose at the unwelcomed noise.

Was he seriously scolding us like faelings right now?

Kade stood silently shaking next to me with laughter, his blue curls hanging off his sweaty sand-covered brow as he stared straight down at the dunes.

I could not look at him, if I did, I’d be risking bursting out into fits of laughter as well. Nor could I look at my soulmate standing behind me with our daughter in hand. His dark chuckling and amused pride radiating through our bond was hard enough to ignore.

I raised my head and sighed. "It was just some harmless shadow league tag."

Green fire shot from the death god’s eyes and I tilted my head— that was new.

"I don't give a Sheol fuck what it's called. You released dangerous nuckelavee into my home—your mother’s home, and then blew them up to the fucking well and back!

Just look at this mess!" he roared, his rings glinting in the twilight as he waved his hands erratically, the sky darkening as the shadows rose from the entire realm to greet it.

Both Kade and I smirked at the shattered black glass speckling the white sands of our parents home.

Some pieces stuck out like lethal shards, others disintegrated into fine black dust, and what was left of the foundation spiked upwards in a surprisingly prism formation, still stretching more than hundreds of feet into the air.

Briefly, our eyes connected with each other—it was a mistake. Together, fits of guffawing laughter exploded from us and only served to fuel the death god's anger more.

Sheol suddenly pitched into a deep night, the entire realm falling into a darkness that was so thick it was difficult to see. An effect that sobered our laughs quickly.

Wiping my eyes and exhaling steadily, I attempted to compose myself before we would be completely smothered by his power over the night.

"What if it had been a glass tower of the soulless, daughter?" Shea continued to rage, "…what kind of game would you call it then?"

I waved him off and rolled my eyes, still trying to control my laughter while my brother hadn't bothered. "Please we are not amateurs. We knew your tower was empty before the nuckelavee were trapped there."

Emon snorted in my mind. "Pity he wasn't within."

"Dear old dad has a point sister," Kade chimed in, "We might need to officially change the name of this game. Maybe Demolition Dick since you did after all, create a giant shadow penis that blew up the nuckelavee and our parent’s home."

I grinned at him. "I blame you Kade, you were the one that told me to fuck them up ."

I felt my brother’s amused look assessing me. I could not look at him. I would completely lose it again. "I suddenly find that I am fearful for your soulmate's health, Rem Rem."

“There is no need to worry for me, shadow brother. Your sister is exactly what my health needs.” Emon responded smoothly, snickering at my brother’s sudden look of disgust, before his voice purred sinfully in my head. "I'm all in for shadow dicks just as long as they don't explode, little umbra."

My heart started to race then for a whole different reason and Emon chuckled behind me, detecting its accelerated rate.

"What is a dick, father?" Riella's tiny voice decidedly cut off his amusement. Their laughter stopped short.

I grinned, turning to wink back at Emon. "Have fun with that, I'll opt out on this one."

The death god eyes looked as if he was truly considering putting us down like the crazed beasts we were.

Before he could make good on the murder in his eyes, the shadows swirled and my mother stepped from them, perfect timing per usual.

She quirked a brow at the dark skies. "Shea, honestly, release the night, it's already dark enough here and what are you planning to do exactly? Kill our only children and grandchild?"

He growled through his teeth. "Not kill, maim maybe…

and never our granddaughter, she would be spared from this circus.

" Then glancing over at Eve, he rolled his eyes at her stern look and I realized then just how much we were alike.

Sighing, he released the night. "They would have healed… they are half god after all."

Dressed in a fitted black dress, my mother placed a delicate hand on her hip. "And they are also sister and brother, Shea. Our children have not seen each other for more than a few centuries when at one point they were all they had, growing up without a father."

Shea flinched.

Sighing, she placed a hand on his arm. "I don't blame you my love, but I will blame you if you don't start using your godly powers to fix our home.

The damage is reversible and you know that.

" Turning towards us, she folded her hands in front of her.

"Am I right to assume this has summed up your mischief for the day?

" Shaking her head, she added, "No need to respond.

" Her eyes fell on me. "I'd be remiss to not encourage you, daughter, to review basic shadow forms again, until your powers balance.

" Her lips pursed at Kade. "You as well, I find it alarming you did not know how to stop an exploding penis, and lost in your game because of it.

One may think you lost on purpose but that could not be since we all know you loathe losing to your sister.

Alas, losers must fetch the provisions. Run along now Kade, and make haste. "

Kade snickered and then bent to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Most fun I have had in a century. Thank you Rem Rem." Then he grinned, throwing another bomb at my feet that left me coughing in a billow of smoke, Kade's laughter disappearing into the shadows.

"Goddess damn it," I cursed.

My mother shook her head, watching my face morph from disbelief to pure vengeance.

I was going to get that little shit back somehow…

someday. Turning towards my soulmate she arched her brow, "King Daemon, give me my granddaughter before you answer her question the way I know you will.

I'd like to spend some time with her before she leaves me. "

Emon scowled back before crouching down to our daughter, nuzzling her nose and shooing her over to my mother with an encouraging nod. Relief that he was avoiding having to answer Riella's question poured throughout the bond making me grin harder.

Shea stared after them as they passed, a painful longing in his eyes that had me feeling unwanted sympathy towards him. Shifting in my discomfort and feeling sand in places I wished I hadn't, I cursed my brother again for his ridiculous games.

The death god's melancholy was short lived however, my mother sensing his sudden change in mood, glanced over her shoulder and blew him a kiss, her blue green eyes gleaming before turning away with my daughter in tow.

Shaking my head, I swore softly, amazed to see how easily my mother could strip the death god down to his core and in that moment he looked almost fae...just a fae that loved his mate.

"Our females have a way of keeping us true and humble to our basic selves, little umbra. You do the same to me."

Meeting his eyes, I did not need to speak to tell him that he also did the same. He could see it there, in my gaze, in the way that even though we stood separate, I still leaned towards him with a vulnerable reliance that would be dangerous if it ever left.

Sighing the death god turned towards me, the softness he held for my mother now gone and replaced with his godly self righteousness once again. "You will listen as I attempt to fix what you destroyed. What I have to say next is vital for the survival of your journey."

I folded my arms across my chest and frowned. "As you wish."

He grunted and faced the prism of glass that was his demolished home. Stretching his arms out the glass shifted, breaking down into thousands of pieces of fine black sand.

"When you first arrived," he said casually, as if what he had just done was mere child’s play, "I explained to you that this part of Sheol is called Eithne, our home."

"Yes" I said with my eyes narrowing, watching the way the bared markings on his forearm that were so much like my own, started to glow with a soft ethereal light similar to the three moons that were now lit in the far distance. "Is this the part where you tell me that Eithne has a counterpart?"

The death god's eyes shimmered with pride when he turned to look over his shoulder at me. "Yes. Well done. It is called the Vagari."

"Wandering," Emon stated simply, stepping closer and pulling me into his side, the backs of his knuckles brushing sand gently from my face.

I relished the pleasant warmth of his body touching mine, our souls singing at the physical connection, although he could have forgone the damn pink sweater he was wearing.

Shea snapped his fingers and the black sand rose, swirling, morphing and twisting until emerald flames engulfed it in a single blast that reformed their glass tower of a home.

"There. I suppose there is an upside to this…

I've been meaning to make a few adjustments, ones I am sure your mother will thank me for tonight. " He winked at me.

I wrinkled my nose. "Eww."

Shea's brows rose, his multi-faceted eyes shifting from Emon to me. "Hypocrisy doesn't look so great on you, daughter."

I gave Emon a side glance, shocked that no growl came from his lips. Instead, he shrugged, pulling me in closer, his hand on my hip searing sinfully through the fabric of my clothing, a lovely burning that made it difficult to focus.

Emon however, had no difficulty at all. “What should we expect in the Vagari?”

"The Vagari…" Shea growled, shooting him a murderous look.

"Is more than just the souls of the fae banished there…it is the realm of all banished souls. Shared by myself and one other.” Looking at me, he said pointedly, “You may call him a cousin , I suppose, since it was my actual god cousin that favored him and sent him there to rule.

He is… unique and runs his half of the realm well enough. "

"Family relations that your father does not approve of? Let's go now," Emon cooed in my head, his fingers sliding under the hem of my shorts teasing my upper thigh with his soft stroking touches .

I inhaled his intoxicating scent, Emon was like a drug to my system and I needed more…

always more. I gripped his hand, shooting him a stern glance.

“What did you say earlier, shifter? Patience. Time to exercise it. We must be prepared for what to expect, my power is no longer reliable and we do not know these lands at all.”

"Daughter, are you listening?"

I sighed irritably, looking back at my father, his jaw ticking on his otherwise flawless features, "Of course I am listening. What dangers will we face in the Vagari, and can we rely on this cousin of ours?"

Shea’s eyes narrowed, studying me briefly before answering. “I cannot say, the realm shifts constantly and you would only waste time seeking our cousin's aid. But if he comes to you, I am fairly certain he will be accommodating.”

“Fairly certain?” I growled, my teeth bared at him.

Emon hand tightened on my hip. “I love it when you go savage. Sometimes I forget you are shadow fae.”

The death god gave an exasperated sigh, “As I said before, I do not venture that realm, unless it’s to seek The Well.

Those souls torture themselves.” Then his head tilted to the side and I could not tell if he was listening for something or thinking hard but when his eyes did snap back up to meet mine they glowed again.

“Excuse me a moment, daughter.” A cyclone of shadow swirled around him before he vanished.

I stared blankly at the shimmering black tower he had just created with a snap of fingers where he was once standing.

Emon dropped a kiss to my bare shoulder, “I can feel your worry, soulmate, but all will be well, I promise.”

I looked up at Emon suspiciously, clawing my way out of the carefully set seduction he was implementing upon me. " You're hiding something. "

His eyes flashed briefly and in that moment, I saw the same reflection of worry I held before he masked it with a roguish grin, his hair falling between his eyes. "You mean a side from my urge to throw you against your father’s newly built home and have my way with you? "

I licked my lips, his growling tone in my mind pooling more heat between my legs, a desire that had been there since the morning when he left me a complete mess in the kitchen, snickering with satisfaction.

It was no wonder I created a giant shadow dick to demolish the city of Sheol…

I needed his dick to demolish me…thoroughly.

A thought I sent to him through our bond.

Grinning, Emon's hand brushed against the look of yearning on my face, trailing through the strands of my hair, then behind my neck where he gripped me tightly. A show of sensual dominance done so discreetly in our stolen quiet moment together.

Whispering against my lips, he purred, “Trust me, when we get another chance to be alone again, there will never be any doubt of just how thorough I can be, little umbra.”